Take-up connecter for anchor rods and guy wires



Feb. 13, 1934. BLACKBURN I 1,946,830

TAKE-UP CONNECTER FOR ANCHOR RODS AND GUY WIRES Filed Aug. 6, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 11W 'EN TOR.

A TTORN E Y.

Ill/Ii Feb. 13, 1934. J. BLACKBURN TAKE-UP CONNECTER FOR ANCHOR RODS AND GUY WIRES Fil'ed Aug. 6, 1952 Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TAKE-UP CONNECTER FOR ANCHOR RODS AND GUY WIRES 3 Claims.

This invention relates to take-up connections for the anchor rods and guy wires of telephone and telegraph lines, or similar installations. Ordinarily, the lower end of the guy wire, the

s upper end being secured to a pole, is stretched towards the upper end of the anchor rod as protruding from the ground, by means of block and tackle, the wire being then run through the eye or" the rod and bent back upon itself and fastened -l-- together by means of a clamp. This work requires considerable time and the services of at least two men.

It is one purpose of the present invention to provide a form of connection between such guy wire and anchor rod which may be operated ex- "peditiously by one man alone.

It is a further object to provide in such a connection a convenient means for taking up the slack in the wire or restoring the tension to wire and rod, the said slack or loss of tension being caused usually by the action of frost in the ground in which the pole is seated, as is well known.

Still another object is to provide a connecter for the purposes referred to, the same including a housing frame having at one end means for engaging a guy wire, and a relatively elongated take-up link or member extended from and rotatably connected with the opposite end, the same being tubular in form with the axial bore or hollow thereof constricted at the intended lower end,

" the walls of this constricted portion being threaded as means for engaging the threaded upper end of an anchor rod, whereby by rotating the said element, proper tension may be imparted to wire and rod.

A further object is to provide a connecter of the kind referred to, the same including an elongated housing or frame having means at one end for engaging a guy wire, there being an aperture through the opposite end and an elongated opening through one side, and a relatively elongated, tubular take-up link having a flanged head, the opposite end of this link having its bore reduced in diameter or constricted, the walls of the constricted bore being threaded for engaging the threaded end of an anchor rod, the said link being insertible bodily through said elongated opening in the side of the frame and endwise through said aperture in the end of the frame to the said flanged head of the link, the head having a free bearing upon the inner margins of the aperture, whereby the link may be rotated relative to the frame, thereby drawing inwardly the threadedly connected end of the anchor rod. And a still further object is to provide in a connecter of the kind referred to, the combination of a frame or housing having an opening through one side for admitting an elongated takeup link, and having an aperture through one end through which the take-up link may be protruded, the said take-up link having a threaded bore for engaging the threaded end of an anchor rod, and having a flanged head adapted to rotatively seat upon the inner margins of the end aperture of the said frame, whereby through the rotation of the take-up link the anchor rod may be drawn inwardly of the link for adjustment purposes, and in fact may be drawn entirely through the link and caused to protrude inwardly into the said frame.

With these and such additional objects, purposes and advantages in View as may be shown in the following specification, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one practical embodiment of my invention, and wherein Figure l is an assembly view showing my invention in use for connecting a guy wire as extended from a pole, and an anchor rod as extended from the ground.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the take-up connecter alone.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the take-up connecter, taken upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and showing the constricted formation of the lower and interiorly threaded end of the take-up link.

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an elevation illustrating the manner of inserting the take-up link into and through the frame.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section similar to that of Figure 3, except that the take-up link is shown with a uniform bore, threaded through from end 95 to end, and the end of the anchor rod is shown drawn entirely through the link and protruding into the frame.

Figure '7 is a detail showing the upper flanged head of the take-up link as entirely closed, instead of the bore of the link being extended therethrough, as shown in the other views.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a housing, frame or cage 1, preferably elongated in form and rectangular in cross section, the same being 105 open at two opposite sides 2 and closed at the other two sides 3. However, an opening through one side only would suffice for the purposes of this invention. At one end 4 of the frame, any 'desired means are provided for securing the end 5 1 10 the head 15.

- than the frame 1.

of a guy wire 6, the opposite end '7 of the wire being secured in conventional manner to the pole 8 as seated in the ground 9. As here shown, this fastening of the end 5 to the frame is made by means of a conventional assembly of tapered wedge block 10 releasably seated within the tapered socket 11 formed axially through that end of the frame, the end 5 of the guy wire being passed over this block, as clearly shown in Figure 3, and being jammed between the margins of the block and the walls of the socket. But any other form or manner of fastening may be employed, as no invention is here claimed in respect of that matter.

In accordance with my invention, an aperture 12 is formed through the opposite end 19 of the frame 1, and as here shown, that aperture is elliptical or oval, being formed upon a major axis extended parallel to the closed sides 3 of the frame and upon a minor axis perpendicular to those sides. Thus the said aperture is elongated towards the open sides 2 of the frame, for the purpose of facilitating the insertion of the take-up link, as illustrated in Figure 5 and as will be explained later on. A relatively elongated, tubular take-up link 13 is provided, the same having an axial bore 14 extended therethrough and being provided at one end with a laterally expanded or flanged head 15.

As represented in Figure 3, the bore 14 is shown as extending clear through the link 13 and opening out through the ends. Also at the end opposite to the head 15, the said bore is shown reduced in diameter and the walls thereof constricted, as represented at 16, the said constricted walls being threaded interiorly, as shown at 17.

However, as shown in Figure 6, this bore 14 is represented as uniform from end to end and is also threaded for its full length, as represented at 17b.

In Figure 7, the bore 14 is shown as closed at The modifying effect of these featural differences upon the operation of my invention will be pointed out later. The formation of the aperture 12 through the end of the frame 1 provides, of course, a marginal shoulder 18 elliptical in form. The frame 1, side openings 2 and end aperture 12 thereof, as well as the diameter of the link 13, are all so relatively proportioned that the link 13 may be easily passed endwise through either side opening 2 and the aperture 12, until the head 15 engages the marginal shoulder 18, the balance of the link protruding outwardly and, when in use, downwardly from the frame 1, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 6. The length of the link 13 relative to the length of the i frame 1 may vary as desired. As here shown,

that link is represented as approximately double that of the frame. In any event, with due regard to economy of manufacture and full performance of function, the link 13 should be of greater length This being true, the elliptical form of the aperture 12, elongated towards the open sides 2, facilitates the angular insertion of the link, as will be readily understood from an inspection of Figure 5. As shown in Figures 3, 5

- and 6, the two opposite margins of the elliptical aperture 12, that is to say, those portions of the shoulder 18, positioned at the ends of the major axis of the aperture and adjacent the open sides 2 of the frame, are provided with the lips 23 upstanding from the outer edges of the shoulder, across the said open sides of the frame, thereby strengthening the structure and forming in conjunction with the shoulder, a seat for the head 15 of the link 13.

In the use of my invention, the end 4 of the frame 1 being connected to the end 5 of the guy wire, and the take-up link 13 being seated in the opposite end 19 of the said frame, in manner already described, the outer end of the link 13 is placed in threaded engagement with the complementarily threaded upper end 20 of the anchor rod 21, protruding from the ground 9 adjacent the pole 8. A wrench (not shown) is then applied to the squared faces 22 provided for the purpose at the lower end of the link, and rotation of the link draws the threaded end 20 of the anchor rod up into or through the link 13 to any required extent. The link 13 is of sufficient length that one man may make the described connection of guy wire and anchor rod and draw the assembly taut as may be desired. For this purpose the end of the anchor rod may be drawn clear through the bore of the link, if necessary, and may be protruded within the frame, as shown in Figure 6. Thus it will be seen that this connecter and take-up assembly provides for a very considerable range of adjustment between guy wire and anchor rod, this range being in fact equal to the combined lengths of the frame clearance and take-up link, where the bore of this link is extended clear through. This bore may be closed at the head 15, as shown in Figure 7, but such closure would, of course, correspondingly limit the range of adjustment or take-up.

While the form of take-up link shown in Figure 6, having a uniform and completely threaded bore, may be used desired, and might have some advantage where unusually heavy strains are to be carried, it is found that for all ordinary piu'poses, the formation shown in Figure 3, having a constricted and threaded bore at the lower or outer end of the link, is sufficient, and in addition offers certain advantages. In the first place, this latter form is more economical in the manufacture, as only the constricted mouth of the link is tapped or threaded and a considerable saving of time is thus effected; secondly, there is a great reduction in the torsional resistance offered by this form in the process of turning the link; and in the third place, should it happen that the threaded end of the anchor rod were bent, this constricted and threaded end of the take-up link would traverse the bend with relative ease, where the completely threaded form might be inoperable owing to the great frictional resistance offered to the passage of the bent rod.

From the foregoing description and explanations, it is thought that the construction, use and operation of the invention, as well as its advantages, will be fully understood, and while I have here represented and described certain structural features and embodiments of the elements of the invention, it is understood that I am not to be strictly confined or limited to the particular forms shown, but that I may vary the several structures, or adopt new and equivalent forms as I may desire, not departing, however, from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the kind described, the combination with an elongated frame having two elongated, oppositely located side openings and an aperture formed through one end of the frame, there being lips upstanding at the outer edges of this apertured end, across the open sides of the frame, thereby forming a seat at said apertured end, of a link extended through tlie'a'p- 150 ertured end of the frame, the said link having a lateraly enlarged head seated within the frame upon the said seat.

2. In a connecter of the kind described, the combination of an elongated housing frame having an elongated side opening and having an aperture through one end, a lip upstanding at the outer edge of the apertured end across the open side of the frame, and a link adapted to pass endwise through the end aperture of the frame, the link having a head adapted to seat within the apertured end of the frame inside the upstanding lip thereof.

3. In a connecter of the kind described, an elongated housing frame having two oppositely arranged side openings elongated lengthwise of the frame and having an elliptical end aperture elongated towards the side openings, the margins deflning the aperture at the ends of the major axis thereof having lips upstanding at the outer edges of the said margins and extending athwart the open sides of the frame and forming in conjunction with the apertured end a. seat for a link head, a link of a length greater than the length of the frame and adapted for insertion through the end aperture of the frame by virtue of the elliptical form of that aperture, the said link having a laterally enlarged head for seating within the apertured end of the frame, within the upstanding lips at the side openings thereof.

JASPER BLACKBURN. 

